Apple Ads MCP vs Recao
A side-by-side look at the Apple Ads MCP and Recao MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Apple Ads MCP for marketing work as a local process; choose Recao for marketing. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Apple Ads MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Marketing domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
APPLE_ADS_ALLOW_DELETES.
Choose Recao when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Marketing domain.
- You want tools like
search_app_advertiser, get_competitor_ads, get_ad_details.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Marketing | Marketing |
| Quality signal | 45/100 · Fair | 41/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Confirmed | Not confirmed yet |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | — |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | APPLE_ADS_ALLOW_DELETES | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 6 | 0 |
| Directory activity | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | Not listed | 4 |
| Full listing | View Apple Ads MCP | View Recao |
Tools & capabilities
Apple Ads MCP tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
Recao tools 4
search_app_advertiserFind an app or developer in Apple's Ad Repository by name. Returns the ids the other tools take. Start here.get_competitor_adsPull every App Store ad an advertiser ran in the EU (up to 1 year back), sorted by how long each has been live. An ad the advertiser keeps paying for is the closest public signal that it converts.get_ad_detailsFull detail for one ad: every locale variant, creative asset URLs, icon variations, placements, and date range. Shows how a competitor localizes a winning ad.get_playbookAn Apple Search Ads playbook for indie apps, wired to the data tools. Call with no argument to list the available playbooks.
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
Apple Ads MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"apple-ads-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"--yes",
"markdownlint-cli2@0.23.2"
],
"env": {
"APPLE_ADS_ALLOW_DELETES": "YOUR_APPLE_ADS_ALLOW_DELETES_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Recao
No confirmed install command for Recao yet — follow the setup steps linked from its listing page rather than a guessed package name.
Frequently asked questions
Apple Ads MCP is categorized under Marketing and uses a local stdio subprocess. Recao belongs to Marketing and uses an install path we have not confirmed yet. Pick Apple Ads MCP for marketing work and Recao for marketing.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client. Recao has no confirmed install command yet — follow its own setup instructions.
Apple Ads MCP has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Recao has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add apple-ads-mcp and recao as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Apple Ads MCP has a quality signal of 45/100 (Fair) with 1 views, 0 installs and 6 GitHub stars. Recao has 41/100 (Fair) with 0 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.